The Cost of Growing up editted
by southern x
Summary: Reeditted Version


_Author's notes_

_Hi everyone again, it time I should stop rushing things… not letting everything get edited first b4 being placed in. Yes, I had my story sent to my editor… so here is the edited version, so I don't need to huddle in shame at all my mistakes. Now all I have to do is to learn from them!_

_I'm sorry about the mistakes so I re-editted this fanfic. Thankyou everyone for your reviews. This is from a year ago. :shock: I'm so sorry. I hope that I haven't killed anyone's interests. I have started on the second chapter. A new start to fanfic life again, while you are here try reading the other one._

_Southern x_

_Review comments:_

_Hououza: Thanks for the encouragement, you'll be seeing more soon? Yeah soon._

_serpent hand: (kira) I'm keeping it up! Holidays' soon so the second chapter: To love you more will be up sometime then._

_absolute darkness: Quitting a blood ruled Job is hard. Sakura's hair is approximately….measures…… slightly over half way down her back. That way when she ties up her hair there is still length for it to spill out from the tie._

_End of Author's notes_

* * *

Princess Sakura-Tenshi watched the sky turn pink. She sighed at the prospect of another day going by. She glanced down at the bracelet around her thin fair wrist. It was the traditional bracelet of maturity, one sign to others that she was the legal age to be coupled and married. Sakura fought back tears, knowing that she would have to leave her childhood away. Her heart cried out for that door to be opened once more, but the door would never open it would have to remain shut. Sakura despised all the events and pressure on her to chose her husband. Growing up to Sakura was not the best thing in life.

* * *

Flashback

Sakura scanned the room, finding her childhood friends. The good times they had had, gathering flowers and playing hide-and-seek in the royal gardens. Sakura held back fresh tears and watched the glamorous procession taking place in front of her. Seated at the right hand side of her father with her tiara sparkling in the setting sun of her fourteenth birthday the fine diamond studded bracelet came closer and closer. All the dreams that Sakura had made up when she was young, dissipated slowly in her mind's eyes.

End of flashback

* * *

"Sakura! Please just listen to me, I am doing this for your own good!" her father cried as Sakura stormed out of her private make up room. King Fujitaka threw up his hands in despair. He had already tried to sit through countless attempts to try to get his daughter to get dressed for the party.

Tears fell from Sakura's face each one daring to make each happy day a sad one. _Why did the world have to go so against me? _A new of thought came to her mind. Sakura knew that she could not just leave her life in the cold hands of death, knowing that she had not done anything influential. Sakura sighed. Life was tough and Sakura knew it. But surely her father couldn't force her to do something that she didn't want to do.

* * *

A Couple of hours later

Sakura, stormed in to her father's bedroom glistening in her marble silk gown.

"Are you happy yet… now that I'm dressed?" Sakura questioned her father.

King Fujitaka sighed. It had taken Sakura that long to get dressed and she still hadn't done up her hair.

"Honey, are you going to leave your hair out for tonight?" Sakura's father asked.

"Yes! If you don't mind, since it is my own hair!" Sakura cried.

"Fine, you can have it your way," replied King Fujitaka as he watched his beautiful daughter rush out of the room. _When would she ever calm down? _He asked himself while shaking his head in concern.

Sakura's bedroom overlooking the royal gardens

Sakura looked over the royal gardens, watching the gardener and his apprentice prune the trees and tidy up the gardens for the huge party that night. Sakura glanced at the servants rushing to get Hikami, the royal cook, all that she wanted. Sakura giggled, remembering when she was little and enjoyed taking fresh pastries and cupcakes from under Hikami's nose. Sakura breathed in the sweet smell of the cherry blossoms that wafted in the breeze.

"Sakura-Hime, we need to get your hair done, mistress." Sakura's servant addressed her while curtsying.

"Lai, you are more than my servant. You are my closest friend. Lai, I really don't want to go to this ball," Sakura said to Lai.

"But….." Lai stuttered.

"I'm not ready to leave my childhood. Childhood has been my life since I was born. I know I should have matured and started to know that you can't stay a child, that you must grow up… but… I can't… I just really can't." Sakura whispered, trying hard to keep back the hot tears gathering in front of her eyes. "Lai, I would like to leave my hair straight but all I would like in my hair is my tiara. I will call you when I am prepared to go. Only then you can help me with my tiara.

Lai curtsied and left the Princess alone.

Lai rushed off to do her other duties. Her heart rang with those words of her childhood friend. She rushed off to help Hikami in the kitchen, since she was always "out of hands".

* * *

45 minutes before the ball

Lai felt a tap on her shoulder. Lai turned around. The person behind her was a young boy of the age of 9. He beckoned her to come nearer as he had a message to give her. Lai nodded as she received the message and quickly hurried to the King's fountain. Lai sat on the edge of the fountain waiting for King Fujitaka. She felt a tap on her shoulder O_uch! That hurt! All this work is killing my arms and haven't' enough people tapped my arm enough?"_

"Lai, since you are my daughter's chambermaid, I would like to know how she is." King Fujitaka enquired.

"Your Majesty, I know she is extremely upset but I know she is trying very hard to keep that feeling at bay," Lai replied.

"Lai, I want you to ensure that Sakura will not try anything desperate. That is all. Go back to your duties," King Fujitaka said as he was deep in thought.

The opening of the ball

King Fujitaka raised his arms in greeting. He scanned the room; surely he had not invited that many guests! It was as if Princes from all over the world had come to celebrate Sakura's birthday. Surely, one of these could be the next King.

"We are here today to celebrate the birthday of Princess Sakura-Tenshi, daughter of King Fujitaka, the king wishes to say that he extremely pleased with everybody here tonight and would like everybody to enjoy his daughter's birthday with her. Let the ball begin…" The announcer boomed out.

The music started and the light dimmed and hours of dancing began.

* * *

At the main entrance to the castle

"Sir, I'm sorry that we are late," Syaoran's driver said as he bowed in apologises.

"Don't' worry about it, as long as we are here," Syaoran said with a small smile

…_my business goes to you_

Syaoran took in a breath to relax his nerves. He was finally here to do what his father had requested. It had taken Yelan three months to get everything going smoothly and only then did she realise that Li had grown into age.

* * *

Syaoran's Flashback

Syaoran watched as his father was slipping in and out of consciousness. Syaoran gripped his father's pale hand and watched as his father fought for every breath. He was to be a man, just like his father said when he wasn't as ill. _Father, won't die! He won't die…. He will be there to protect me…._ Syaoran tried to fight the facts, there was nothing he could do but watch his father die in front of him. He could believe that the strongest person of his family could just be weak and frail, lying on the white sheets. Syaoran felt Yelan's eye's drift over to him, Yelan was torn into two. He could see that, the Li family would lose a family member and Yelan would lose her hopes and her husband.

"He is darkening," Yelan said as she empathed into her husband's soul.

Syaoran glanced her way as Yelan strode to his father's bedside and watched as his dried eyed mother broke down into river of tears. They brought on a flow of emotion that gushed through to Syaoran's heart. Syaoran studied his father's face … he gasped when he saw the pale eyelids flutter.

_He's coming around! He's going to be fine!_ Syaoran's spirits soared at that prospect.

"Mother! Father is coming around!" Syaoran whispered and he gripped his father's hand further.

Syaoran's father licked his dry lips and coughed at his first attempts to speak. He sighed and smiled weakly.

"Yelan, my business is my dream keep it for me, please … send my best wishes to my…. Daughters…," Syaoran's father whispered.

He groaned as he shifted slightly to face Syaoran.

"Li, my boy, my business goes to you. A lot will shroud your heart but always look in your heart because…. cough cough... because…. gasp…. cause it will always tell you the truth. ….learn…. to… clear…..sigh…. it"

Syaoran then felt his father's hand droop and slowly slip from his grip.

"NOOOOO! Father you can't go! I'm not ready… I'm not ready," Syaoran's vision blurred as the held back tears started to stream down his face.

Yelan gently moved her son from his grip on his father.

"Son, he's gone, there's nothing we can do about it but what he requested," Yelan said as grief's cold hand strangled her heart further.

End of Syaoran's Flashback

* * *

_Stupid marriage! Stupid age!_

Syaoran clenched his fists as he remembered how his mother learnt that any mention of his father would weaken her son's knees. Syaoran's anger burned in him as he proceeded up the stairs into the elaborate castle before him.

Syaoran strode into the dance hall of the King Kinimoto. He slipped between the people and found a seat near the stage. He glanced at King Fujitaka sitting honourably on his throne.

* * *

The opening of the ball- Sakura's bedroom

Sakura could hear the sounds from the excited guests, as their noise carried through the empty halls; she could hear the announcer opening the ball and the music that drifted up from the ballroom. She rolled her eyes, which was definitely not a princess-like thing to do she put on her tiara and adjusted her hair slightly and began to proceed down the hallway to the ballroom.

_Sayonara, childhood, sweet memories stay with me. It's time to start a new beginning, time to turn over a new leaf and time to choose a new path in life. _Sakura told herself as she walked to Lai, who was waiting at the column near the doorway. Lai smiled at her friend and quickly spread the message. Sakura could only manage a nervous smile.

Suddenly, the ballroom darkened, and the music stopped and trumpets blared.

"Princess Sakura –Tenshi arrives!" The announcer announced when the introduction stopped.

Sakura sighed. _Another tiresome ball…_ She walked into the ballroom and she felt small since hundreds of eyes were directed to her. She smiled softly as the spotlight covered her in white light. She moved towards her father and the space she created was filled. She looked at the people around her. Through the darkness the faces of the people could be barely seen. As Sakura reached the stage, she hugged her father.

"Did you invite this many people?" She whispered into her father's ear as they embraced.

"No definitely not to my memory," Her father replied with a chuckle.

"Yes, I know that I should not rely on YOUR memory," Sakura said sarcastically.

King Fujitaka smiled and led her to the waiting visitors. Sakura was taken into her loving father's arms and traditionally, Sakura and her father lead the first dance of the night.

* * *

Afterwards

Sakura's feet were stinging after a couple of hours of non-stop dancing. She slipped herself from the arms of the 100th dancer.

"Gomen," Sakura said as she rushed off the dance floor, leaving the unknown stranger stranded under a sea of moving people.

Sakura

Sakura's conscious screamed at her for being so stupid. That was not the way for princesses to leave a partner. Sakura gripped her forehead and tried to keep upright. Her feet were killing her and she was not feeling her best. _What is wrong with me, why is the world going around? _Sakura asked herself. Sakura watched as everything was in slow motion, as if she was looking a flowing river, all the time wishing that she was also caught up in it. Sakura reached out to steady herself but she never got to see where she fell, as blackness surrounded her.

End of chapter 1

* * *

_Author's notes ._

_This is to all the new readers,_

_Review! I would like to see my story come alive once more._

_Southern x_

End of Author's notes


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